Valve islands are valve arrangements, which are used for controlling complex pneumatic systems, for example. A plurality of valves may be integrated in a valve island at one place and may be supplied with electric and fluid energy (by a pneumatic or hydraulic control fluid) by means of a common centralized supply, for example. In addition, a centralized power supply may be provided in the valve island. Often different kind of modules, also modules for a dedicated purpose, which may be adapted as valve modules, purely electronics modules, diagnosis modules or fluid introduction modules, for example, are plugged together along a line-up direction as a modular system, whereby this kind of valve islands offer a very high degree of flexibility. Valve islands are units comprising numerous valves which are separate components with an own outer housing. The valves are attachable next to each other along a line-up direction to a separate fastening structure, i.e. a separate component. The valves can be attached to and removed from the fastening structure. Thus, valve islands are flexibly usable modules wherein the number of valves attached to the fastening structure can be easily adapted to the use and purpose of the valve island. Valve islands are assemblies that are used for example for actuating complex pneumatic systems. A plurality of valves thereby can be constructionally combined in one place and can be supplied with electric and fluidic energy (by a pneumatic or hydraulic control fluid) e.g. via a common central supply unit.
In general, such a module arrangement comprises a capability for internal data communication, by means of which the single valves may be addressed in a valve island. Said data communication is carried out by means of an internal bus of the module arrangement, for example. Said internal bus may comprise an external connection on one of the outer sides of the module arrangement.
However, it is often required to enable data communication with external devices, in order to control single valves or also to transmit data, for example. Hereto, additional external data cables have to be connected to the module arrangement.
Usually, for this kind of module arrangement a mounting orientation is fixedly predetermined, and the module arrangement may only be fixed in one specific orientation, for example in the switch cabinet, which also defines a front side and a back side and an upper side and a bottom side of the module arrangement. Here, the front side is defined as the side, which is accessible by a user, while the back side, which is basically opposite to the front side, is in particular facing a wall of the switch cabinet and may be used to fasten the complete module arrangement. Often, the mounting orientation is selected in a way that the upper and lower side are aligned more or less perpendicular to the vertical direction.
The line-up direction extends here along the front side and the back side of the module arrangement and in particular horizontal to the mounting orientation.
In case the module arrangement is mounted in a switch cabinet, there is normally not much space left. For example, for connections to external lines, which are aligned in the forward direction, often space-related issues occur, especially in flat switch cabinets, as the connection cables may not be bent in a radius of an arbitrarily small size. In addition, the connected cables are routed in an area where they interfere with the operation of the module arrangement.
It is an object of the invention to enhance the connection options of a cable, which is routed externally to the module arrangement.